Raptors Sign Douby

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have signed guard Quincy Douby to a 10-day contract. He is the 17th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season and the 135th overall since the league began play in 2001.

Douby, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, averaged 18.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 28.6 minutes in five games with the D-League’s Erie BayHawks this season. He scored in double figures in all five games, with a high of 23 points at Albuquerque.

Douby, 24, was the 19th selection as an early entry candidate by the Sacramento Kings in the 2006 NBA Draft. He averaged 4.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in 116 career games with the Kings.

Hmmm … okay, I guess.

I’m happy to see Douby get another opportunity in the NBA. Although I have to say, I think it’s very likely he fails to get a good opportunity with the Raptors, so he’ll likely need a fresh start next season.

I don’t understand why Toronto aren’t trying to give Roko Ukic more minutes at this stage of the season. Why bring in competition in Douby, someone who also needs minutes, when you already have someone in Ukic who needs court time?

By signing Quincy Douby to a second 10-day contract yesterday, the Raptors continued their quest to answer the most obvious question that surrounds the young guard.

To wit: Why was Douby drafted with the 19th overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2006 draft, only to rot on the Kings’ bench for most of the past three seasons?

Perhaps it’s because he’s a classic tweener, smaller, at a wisp-thin 6-foot-3, than the traditional shooting guard, but not possessed of top-notch point-guard skills.

Jay Triano adds

“I feel bad we haven’t given him the chance to play,” said Triano yesterday. “He works his butt off at practice. He’s quick. He can break guys down off the dribble a little bit, and we haven’t had that.

“The toughest thing right now is, what position is he? But we have to find out. The upside of this kid, he can score, he’s a decent defender from what we’ve seen in practice … and he’s a 19th pick.”

I didn’t even remember that he was the 19th pick in the draft. Ah well …. shows you how time moves on, and forgets you quickly, when you’re not successful.

The article does a good job of highlighting the major problem — he’s a tweener with no position — and Douby’s lack of development at either the point, or the two guard slot, have stopped him from getting court time. I think it would be good for him to go to Europe for a year or two and try to hone his skills at either position.